Dysfunction characteristics

Exposure to pesticides can provoke a variety of immune reactions. These reactions can be classified into (a) modulation of normal immune responses (immune dysfunction), characteristically manifested as immunosuppression, and (b) pathological enhancement of the immune response, most often manifested as hypersensitivity or autoimmunity. The number of reviews on this subject underscores the interest in and concern for the potential of pesticides to alter immune function (8-15). The two general categories of immune alterations induced by pesticides are discussed below. 

Dysfunction characteristics residual strength of the degraded artifact. 

The second major component of the evaluation equation is the dysfunction characteristics. Properties of a degraded artifact are the product of the artifact s normative characteristics and the particular type of diminution it has sustained. Dysfunction characteristics are properties of the degraded structure. 

Proposed Analysis. The first step is to evaluate normative properties to establish a baseline for treatment design, then to evaluate dysfunction characteristics, scope, and extent of disintegration. Most deterioration appears to have occurred close enough to the surface for evaluation and treat-... 

SSRIs are widely used for treatment of depression, as well as, for example, panic disorders and obsessive—compulsive disorder. These dmgs are well recognized as clinically effective antidepressants having an improved side-effect profile as compared to the TCAs and irreversible MAO inhibitors. Indeed, these dmgs lack the anticholinergic, cardiovascular, and sedative effects characteristic of TCAs. Their main adverse effects include nervousness /anxiety, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, insomnia, tremor, dizziness, headache, and sexual dysfunction. The most commonly prescribed SSRIs for depression are fluoxetine (31), fluvoxamine (32), sertraline (52), citalopram (53), and paroxetine (54). SSRIs together represent about one-fifth of total worldwide antidepressant unit sales. 

The net results of our pilot study suggest that PCP-induced brain dysfunction cannot be understood solely on the basis of the pharmacological characteristics of PCP itself. There appear to be as many individuals with histories of intermittent, light use as there are chronic, moderate to heavy abusers of PCP who show significant impairment on the NP tests. 

Endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and the formation of fatty streaks contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic coronary artery plaques, the underlying cause of coronary artery disease (CAD). The predominant cause of ACS, in more than 90% of patients, is atheromatous plaque rupture, Assuring, or erosion of an unstable atherosclerotic plaque that occludes less than 50% of the coronary lumen prior to the event, rather than a more stable 70% to 90% stenosis of the coronary artery.3 Stable stenoses are characteristic of stable angina. 

Recessively inherited coagulation disorders (RICDs) refer to relatively rare deficiencies in factor II, V, VII, and X-XIII resulting in either decreased clotting factor production or production of a dysfunctional molecule with reduced activity.19 The clinical severity of bleeding varies and generally is poorly correlated with the factor blood levels. Table 64-6 illustrates these clotting factor deficiencies and some of their characteristics. 

Renal Effects. The characteristics of early or acute lead-induced nephropathy in humans include nuclear inclusion bodies, mitochondrial changes, and cytomegaly of the proximal tubular epithelial cells dysfunction of the proximal tubules (Fanconi s syndrome) manifested as aminoaciduria, glucosuria, and phosphaturia with hypophosphatemia and increased sodium and decreased uric acid excretion. These effects appear to be reversible. Characteristics of chronic lead nephropathy include progressive interstitial fibrosis, dilation of tubules and atrophy or hyperplasia of the tubular epithelial cells, and few or no nuclear inclusion bodies, reduction in glomerular filtration rate, and azotemia. These effects are irreversible. The acute form is reported in lead-intoxicated children, whose primary exposure is via the oral route, and sometimes in lead workers. The chronic form is reported mainly in lead workers, whose primary exposure is via inhalation. Animal studies provide evidence of nephropathy similar to that which occurs in humans, particularly the acute form (see Section 2.2.3.2). 

Delirium symptoms suggest dysfunction of multiple brain regions.12 Clinical subtypes of delirium with unique and definable phenomenological or physical characteristics are not widely accepted. At present, very little information is known about the neuropathogenesis of cocaine... 

Unlike many chemicals in the brain, neurotransmitters are not homogeneously distributed, but concentrated in certain regions. For example, almost two-thirds of the dopamine in the brain is found in the bilateral nigrostriatal (mesostriatal) tract (pathway), where the neuronal cell bodies are located in the substantia nigra and the axons terminate in the corpus striatum. When over 85% of these dopaminergic neurons are lost, the characteristic motor dysfunction of Parkinson s disease is seen. 

A further characteristic feature of the evolutionary psychology argument is to point to the relatively short period, in geological and evolutionary terms, over which Homo sapiens - and, in particular, modern society - has appeared. Forms of behaviour or social organisation which evolved adaptively over many generations in human hunter-gatherer society may or may not be adaptive in modern industrial society, but have, it is claimed, become to a degree fixed by humanity s evolutionary experience in the palaeolithic EEA. Hence, they are now relatively unmodifiable, even if dysfunctional. 

Renal calculi occurred in 2 children being treated with a low-galactose diet (B7, C5). In one case it was shown that the serum alkali reserve was low (B7). It is impossible to decide whether this was due to galactose damaging the kidney and causing continued dysfunction after exposure to galactose had stopped, or to some characteristic of the low-galactose diet. 

The notion that colors, flavors, and other common food additives could adversely affect children s behavior was widely publicized in the 1970s. According to Feingold (1974), 40-70% of children who exhibited impulsive behavior, learning disabilities, short attention spans, and other symptoms characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD (formerly called hyperkinesis, hyperactivity, or minimal brain dysfunction) showed dramatic improvement when placed on diets without food dyes and other common additives. 

The diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia have evolved considerably (Table 4.1). In DSM-IV, there are three symptom domains including symptom characteristics, social/occupational dysfunction due to these symptoms, and symptom duration. In... 

A further characteristic of this principle is that, if the activity of phosphodiesterase is decreased, the concentration of cyclic GMP will increase to an extent dependent upon the extent of the decrease in activity. This characteristic has been made use of by the pharmaceutical industry. Cyclic GMP has a vasodilatory effect and this is the case for the arterioles that supply blood to the corpus cavemosum in the penis, which controls the erection of the penis. Drugs were developed (e.g. sildenafil) that inhibits cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase and hence increases the cyclic GMP level which resnlts in vasodilation of the arterioles and an increase in the snpply of blood to the spongy tissue of the corpus cavemosum, which expands resulting in erection. This dmg has been found to be effective in some patients snffering from erectile dysfunction. This can be a particular problem in diabetic patients and more elderly men (Chapter 19). 

Johnson and colleagues have summarized the major toxicological observations made after administration of vinblastine or vincristine to other animals Ib). In rabbits and cats intravenous doses of 0.2 mg/kg vincristine were lethal after the second to the fifth dose on a schedule involving drug administration two to three times a week. Signs consistent with neurotoxicity were observed in rabbits and cats for example, a head drop phenomenon, characteristic of neuromuscular dysfunction, was observed in rabbits, and clonic convulsions were observed in cats. Vincristine is lethal to dogs when administered at 0.05 mg/kg, intravenously, five times in a 1-week period. Vincristine is lethal to monkeys when administered five times on a schedule of 1 mg/kg weekly comparable toxicity is observed when the drug is administered more frequently (daily) at lower doses (e.g., 0.2 g/kg). 

In many chronic inflammatory diseases, angiogenesis can be identified in the inflamed lesions. For example, in rheumatoid arthritis extensive neovascularization is present in the inflamed synovium where it is one of the earliest histopathological findings [36]. Since in RA synoviocytes exhibit characteristics of tumour cells, including somatic mutations in key regulatory genes such as H-ras and the p53 tumour suppressor, RA can be viewed as a multicentric tumour-like mass that invades and destroys its local environment [37]. Concurrent increased endothelial cell turnover may contribute to microvascular dysfunction and thereby facilitate persistent synovitis. 

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